OJ Simspson poses for a portrait with his wife Marguerite Whitley Simpson, daughter Arnelle and son Jason on January 8, 1973.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesThe late one OJ Simpson was the father of five children, whom he shared with his two former spouses.
The former athlete married his first wife, Margaret Whitley, in 1967. Before their separation in 1979, the couple welcomed three children together: Arnelle, Jason and Aaren. Simpson married Nicole Brown Simpson in 1985 and later had a son, Justin, and a daughter, Sydney.
Simpson made headlines around the world in 1995 after he was put on trial for the murder of Brown Simpson Ronald Goldman. He was ultimately found not guilty, but was later found liable for wrongful death and bodily harm.
He then served nine years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping before being granted early release in 2017, followed by early parole in 2021.
OJ Simpson originally rose to fame as a standout football player. After winning the Heisman Trophy at the University of Southern California in 1968, he was selected No. 1 overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 draft. Simpson retired from the NFL in 1979 after eleven seasons, changing his career […]
Simpson announced in February 2024 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. His children announced that he had died at the age of 76 X two months later.
“On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” Simpson’s family wrote in April 2024. “He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you respect their desire for privacy and grace.”
Keep scrolling for a guide to Simpson’s family:
OJ Simpson and wife Marguerite Whitley Simpson, 1977.
Margaret Whitley
Simpson reportedly met his first wife in high school in California and married her in 1967 when they were just 19 and 18, respectively. While both Simpson and Whitley denied any abuse in their marriage, the former LAPD officer Jim King allegedly Inside Edition that officers once responded to a domestic violence call regarding the couple in the 1970s.
“[Marguerite] indicated that OJ had punched, kicked, choked and forced her to the ground,” King told the outlet in 1995. “He never denied touching Marguerite, on the contrary, he said he shouldn’t have touched her.”
After their separation in 1979, Whitley reportedly sued her ex-husband for failing to fulfill his financial obligations. The legal dispute was settled out of court in 1986. Whitley reportedly remarried twice, but her current marital status is unknown.
During his murder trial in 1995, Whitley believed Simpson was innocent and attended court hearings with her children. She seemed to be out of the spotlight in recent years.
OJ Simpson and his wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 1993.
Rose Hartman/Getty ImagesNicole Brown Simpson
Simpson met Brown Simpson while he was still married to Whitley. They finally married in 1985 and had two children together. Their marriage was rocky. Aside from Simpson allegedly bragging about cheating on his wife, she reportedly required hospital treatment following a domestic violence incident in 1989.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 1994 that Brown Simpson told police not to arrest the football star because the 1989 incident was the ninth police report of domestic violence. At that time, Brown Simpson allegedly told police that Simpson had threatened to kill her. Four months later, Simpson pleaded no contest to his spousal battery charge.
The duo divorced in 1992, and two years later, Brown Simpson and her friend Goldman were found dead outside their Los Angeles home, with Simpson becoming the prime suspect. His 1995 trial gripped the nation, became the subject of numerous books and documentaries, and was dramatized in FX’s 2016 limited series American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson.
Simpson was acquitted of all murder charges, but was later arrested in 2007 and found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery. He was released from prison in 2007 and received early parole in 2021.
OJ Simpson and daughter Arnelle Simpson, 2007.
Alexander Tamargo/Getty ImagesArnell Simpson
OJ and Whitley had their first child in 1968. During her father’s murder trial in 1995, Arnelle testified that OJ was “very upset and emotional.” [and] confused” when he called to inform her of stepmother Brown Simpson’s death The Washington Post. She further described her father as “out of control and distraught.” [and] emotional” the day after the murder.
“He was deaf. He was very quiet, just sitting on the couch and holding my grandmother’s hand,” she added at the time.
Arnelle spoke on her father’s behalf again in 2017, speaking before a parole board about Simpson’s early release from prison. “No one really knows how much we have been through over the last nine years, this ordeal,” she told the court. “My experience with him is that he is like my best friend and my rock. And as a family we recognize that he is not the perfect man, but he is clearly a man and a father who has done his best to behave in a way that fits his overall nature and character, which will always be positive should: No no matter what happens.”
Jason and Arnelle Simpson listen to opening statements on January 26, 1995.
Lee Celano/WireImageJason Simpson
OJ and Whitley had their second child in 1970. Jason has kept a low profile in the years since his father’s trial, as he was seen crying with his head in his hands upon hearing Simpson’s acquittal.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2016 that Jason lived in Atlanta and worked as a restaurant chef.
Aaron Simpson
OJ and Whitley had their third child in 1977. She tragically died a month before her second birthday after drowning in the family swimming pool.
OJ Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, Sydney Brooke Simpson and Justin Ryan Simpson.
Barry King/WireImageSydney Brooke Simpson
OJ and Brown Simpson had their first child in 1985. Sydney and her younger brother Justin were reportedly sleeping at Brown Simpson’s LA home at the time of her and Goldman’s murder. After their deaths, the siblings were taken into custody by their grandparents, Juditha And Louis Brown.
Sydney has remained under the radar over the years, reportedly graduating from Boston College with a degree in sociology and living in Florida.
OJ Simpson with his children Justin Simpson and Sydney Simpson at their mother Nicole Brown Simpson’s funeral on June 16, 1994.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesJustin Ryan Simpson
Brown Simpson gave birth to her and Simpson’s youngest child in 1988. Like many of his siblings, Justin has stayed out of the spotlight but occasionally shares glimpses into his life via social media.
In February 2022, Justin announced that he was giving birth to a child with his partner Alycia Browne. “So we did something…🥰👶🤩💩,” he captioned an Instagram picture of himself and Browne holding their child’s sonogram. “We are extremely excited, scared, nervous and in love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️. We’ll be welcoming little Lana in just a few months and we can’t wait to meet you! Everything helps, especially the tips and advice from all the parents out there 😃.”
Browne seemingly confirmed the birth of her baby in October 2023 by sharing an Instagram image of a plush chair she made with the name Lana Nicole — the middle name, which is likely a nod to Justin’s late mother — embroidered on it.